


Gone But Not Forgotten

by write_read_play



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-08 16:44:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16433123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/write_read_play/pseuds/write_read_play
Summary: Real estate tycoon Baron Samedi has everything he desires, except one thing: bartender Roni Millman. Two-part story for the last two prompts of Spooky OQ Week. Part 1 satisfies Day 6 prompt Scream and Part 2 satisfies Day 7 prompt Possessed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an OQ story, I promise. Any mistakes are mine. Thanks for reading!

**PART 1: HER STORY**  

Fridays and Saturdays were always the busiest nights for Roni. She stayed behind the bar for the most part, as Remy and Jacinda served the rest of the patrons. By the end of the night, she could barely feel her feet no matter how comfortable she made her shoes with added support and cushioned insoles.

She announced last call at 3:30, willing herself to continue smiling, which was easy to do when she thought about how much money they’d made that night, keeping her feelings in check about having to do it all again in less than twenty-four hours. There was no point feeling sorry for herself; this was what she’d wanted all her life.

Roni could never, and if she managed to keep this bar from Victoria Belfry, _would never_ , work for anyone but herself again. She’d had crappy jobs ever since she was nineteen because a high school diploma and three semesters at a community college could only get one so far. She took on a brief stint as a receptionist for a construction company but soon realized that answering phones and sending out mailers was not for her. She went on to waitress at a diner, but often had to split the tips with other workers including the cooks who often got orders wrong and she was the one who’d get blamed for their mistakes.

One night after her shift, she heard one of the waitresses say something about working at a bar and that the work was similar to waitressing, but the earning potential was exceptionally more.

Without delay, Roni began looking for work in local bars who often turned her away, saying she only had waitressing experience, and that she wasn’t a bartender. All she needed was for one person to give her a chance, just one. And finally, she got that opportunity at a Portland bar called The Dragon’s Cove.

It wasn’t until her twenty-sixth birthday that Roni decided it was time to get her shit together so she went back to school, and enrolled herself in a business degree program. She now had an incentive: she hoped to own a bar someday.

Up until then, she’d been working at The Dragon’s Cove. It was owned by a bickering couple named Melanie and Steve. Roni and Mel became fast friends, and when Steve announced he was leaving, they were both glad to see him go, since he often drove patrons away because he drank while he worked. Steve often became sloppy and irritable, sloshing booze whenever he served it. And when customers complained, Steve wouldn’t think twice about starting a fight with them, and over time, The Dragon’s Cove began losing customers, and money.

“He’s ruining my business!” Mel griped angrily. “I started this place with my father’s inheritance, and I’ll be lucky if I can make rent for the next couple of months with him here.”

Roni did all she could do, which was listen. She wished she could help Mel out more, but she didn’t have any formal education. That night they sat at the bar. A couple of hours had passed since they’d announced last call. She reached out for her friend’s hand and took it in hers. “If he’s ruining your business, why don’t you leave him?”

Mel laughed bitterly. “Because I need him.”

“ _I_ could be your business partner. I could be your bartender, too.”

“Maybe. But you don’t know much about business, sweetie, and Steve’s been my business partner since we started this. Besides, you don’t know a whole lot about preparing drinks.”

Squeezing her fingers, Roni said, “So teach me. We’ll get this place out of the red in no time, and you can say adios to Steve.” She extended her middle finger for emphasis, making Mel smile.

Ironically, a week later Steve says he’s leaving. Roni, being a quick study, picks up the slack and starts learning how to tend the bar with relative ease. She’d already been learning after hours with Mel, and soon their former regulars started coming back.

Roni and Mel worked on making The Dragon’s Cove as welcoming as possible, hiring musicians, and even repainting the inside, and Steve eventually became nothing more than an afterthought. 

Mel taught Roni everything she knew but they reached a point where she’d shared all of her knowledge. The rest of it, Roni would need to acquire on her on.

One night after closing, Mel asked Roni to sit with her again. Mel had finished counting out and divvying the tips, and Roni let out a sigh of exhaustion, toeing her sneakers off as the thud echoed dully.

“I’m hiring more help around here,” Mel announced without preamble. “It’s gotten too busy for the two of us to handle alone and I want more for you, Roni. I don’t want to keep you here. It’d be selfish of me.”

Narrowing her eyes, Roni leaned back on the stool, running her fingers along the bar top. “Are you firing me?”

“No. I’m giving you an opportunity. We’ve worked our asses off for almost a year, and business is booming again after so long. I’ve interviewed two people to wait tables, and, if you’re willing, I’d like to send you back to college. You’ve become a phenomenal bartender, Roni, but what kind of mentor and friend would I be if I held you back from reaching your fullest potential? You’ve got a knack for business. You’re meant for more, kiddo.”

Roni shook her head in shock and said, “I don’t have that kind of money saved up, Mel. I can’t go back to school.”

“Of course you can—I just told you: I’m paying for it.”

Mel wouldn’t take no for an answer. And that’s how Roni found herself at Portland State University’s School of Business, getting a formal education, and graduating a few days after her thirtieth birthday with a degree in business management and administration.

Roni worked with Mel another two years before Mel said it was time for her to ‘leave the nest.’ She wanted her to go and open her own place. In truth, Roni had felt restless for a long time. She and Mel were not exactly business partners though she believed they could be, but Mel wouldn’t relinquish control of her bar because after Steve, she feared no one else could be as invested in her bar as she was, not even Roni.

 

This led to them having a heated argument that ended only when Roni stormed out, never looking back.

She left Portland altogether, took only a suitcase and a few belongings with her and moved north, to Seattle. Though it took some time, she was able to open up her own bar after all with the help of her business partner, a single mom named Kelly, who was also a businesswoman. Kelly taught spin classes and she also helped create a line of green detox juices sold exclusively at the gym.

Kelly had a darling little girl named Margot who looked up to Roni often. It caused a riff between her and Kelly, and eventually they had a falling out. Kelly chose to take her daughter with her to California. Roni knew they had family there, and she didn’t want them to go, but Kelly signed the bar over to her exclusively, wished her good luck and said she never wanted to see her again.

And that was how Roni learned that getting close to anyone would only lead to disappointment, so she kept her distance from everyone.

She occasionally had lovers, but she made sure never to get too invested emotionally in romantic relationships. She treated friendships the same way, never getting close or letting her guard down. She was a loner, and that’s just the way it was, and Roni was fine with it.

There was strength in solitude. And there was no room for disappointment. It was a lonely but peaceful existence.

So there she stood on a Friday night (or was it Saturday morning? she never could tell since she didn’t consider it the next day until after she’d slept), surveying the crowd between serving her customers drinks as the pulsing in her feet begged her to sit down even if it was only for five minutes.

Roni knew, though, that if she sat down, she wouldn’t be able to stand back up so she remained as she was, redirecting her tired thoughts back to the present, back to the people spending their hard earned money in her bar. She sighed in gratitude, lost in her own world as a man approached the bar from the far right. He spoke in a smooth, accented voice.

“May I have another?”

Roni looked over. The man wore a dark gray trench coat and a thick burgundy scarf. He was tall and very handsome. He looked at his watch, something that screamed expensive, made of pure gold. A Rolex maybe? Roni couldn’t be sure, but as she got closer to him, she could smell his cologne. It reminded her of spiced wood chips, the kind used in fancy potpourri found in high end department stores, not the cheap stuff from the dollar store that always made her sneeze.

She glanced casually at his hands, noticing they were smooth and manicured.

“What are you having?”

“Appleton 50.” Roni nodded at him, impressed. “Are you the owner?”

Smiling, she nodded. “I am.”

Sliding his arm across the bar, he said, “Baron Samedi,” leaving his business card before her. She finished pouring his drink before taking his card and slipping it into the back pocket of her jeans, not bothering to read it.

Samedi watched her with amusement.

“Duty calls. Nice talking to you,” Roni said stepping away, as a group of patrons asked for a second round. 

 

Mr. Samedi didn’t leave the bar, not even when Roni announced last call. He’d ordered another drink, and sipped it slowly. She approached him and said, “We’re closing soon.”

He spoke even as she was turning away from him. “I don’t supposed you’d care to join me?”

Smiling to herself, she figured, why not? It had been a long time since she’d last had some company. He was handsome and he was flirting.

Turning back, she said, “Yes, but not here. Can you meet me outside in an hour?”

With a slight nod, he dropped some bills on the bar and placed his unfinished drink on them, walking out without another word.

Roni was about to call out to him; he’d left $200 under his tumbler, and that was far too large a tip, but he was gone before she could say anything.

 

Stepping outside, she locks everything up. She doesn’t see any sign of Mr. Samedi, so she starts her brisk walk home, wrapping her arms tightly around her torso.

She passes a dark car and hears the sound of a window being lowered. The familiar velvety voice says, “Roni? Would you care for a ride?”

Stopping in her tracks, she turns to him and flirts, “I thought we were supposed to have a drink, but now you want to take me home. Give me one good reason why I should get in the car with you?”

He gives her a sly look and laughs. “Because it’s late. And you’re cold,” he adds as his eyes shamelessly travel down to her pointed nipples, visible through her sweater.

Roni’s lips perk up in a smile, but it never reaches her eyes.

It’s company, she tells herself. Just for tonight.

 

They go to her place and spend the rest of the night talking and flirting. Baron Samedi is captivated with her. She’s intelligent but not prim, and she’s got passion, fire with an edge.

“I want to see you again, Roni.”

But she shakes her head, says she doesn’t think it’s a good idea.

“Well then we’ll just have to savor this moment, won’t we,” he says as he kisses her and pushes her back on the loveseat. His hand wanders underneath her shirt, cupping her breast as his fingers rub her nipple through her bra, making her shiver.

“Samedi?” Roni breathes out.

“Call me Baron,” he murmurs against the column of her neck, dotting kisses along it.

“I think… _ahhh_ …I think…we should… _stop_ ,” she manages.

Roni may only be interested in sex but she’ll never be the woman who gives it up on a first date. (She’s already been there and done that.) And this isn’t even a date really.

Baron Samedi is nothing but a gentleman and he eases back respectfully, murmurs an apology.

Roni doesn’t expect to see him again when he leaves her apartment with no more than a brief stop at second base, so she’s surprised when he’s back in her bar the following night. He’s shown up just before closing, a bag of takeout hanging from his fingers. She smiles and motions him to the back, where her office is.

 

They fall into an easy friendship with occasional benefits. Roni finds it easy to talk to him, and he encourages her to share more about her past.

The way he treats her gives her what she’s come to associate as a false sense of security, and one night she tells him so.

“This can only end one way: badly,” she whispers against his lips.

“Why does anything have to end?” he wonders out loud, and she pushes him back slightly.

“Because _everything_ ends. Eventually, everything runs its course.”

Samedi doesn’t argue, just kisses her again and says, “Then we’d better make this count.”

 

They keep seeing each other casually and their friendship continues to grow, but Roni gets the feeling he’s hiding something from her.

Sometimes when she’s alone, she lets herself believe she might have a chance at true happiness, but something tells her that this isn’t it for her, that it’s not in the cards, and that she ought to prepare herself for the day Baron Samedi doesn’t come calling on her.

Still, his presence in her life is a welcome distraction from having to dodge Victoria Belfrey’s threats about buying her bar. It’s _her_ fucking bar, and Roni _is not_ giving it up.

 

She tries to keep her distance from Samedi, tries to pretend she doesn’t care about him, but with each passing week, it gets harder to do.

There’s something comforting and familiar about him, something she can’t put her finger on.

She always knew someone with that kind of wealth and business savvy would also be intelligent but he’s also got a brooding dark side as she finds out one night.

His driver picks her up at the bar, and takes her to his penthouse. When he opens the door she’s all smiles, happy to see him.

But Samedi doesn’t return the gesture. “I’m afraid something has come up and I don’t have much time tonight.”

Roni gives him a sharp nod, says she understands and walks out, riding the elevator all the way down and simmering with anger. Why the hell did he have the driver pick her up then? She wishes she’d have gone home, wishes she’d broken things off before getting close.

It’s going to be a nightmare trying to find a ride home, but thankfully, his driver is at the curb, waiting for her. “Mr. Samedi asked that I drive you home, miss,” he says politely, opening the door so she can slide into the buttery soft leather seat.

 

A month goes by, and Roni doesn’t see or hear from Baron Samedi. One night, she’s drowning her sorrows in a bottle of whiskey and a pint of gelato.

Feeling her lowest, she admits to herself that it had been too good to be true and that she probably should have kept her guard up. This is why she doesn’t get close—because the loneliness that follows is too heavy a burden to bear. How stupid she’d been.

 

She gives up on the pity party and gets into bed. But Roni’s thoughts drift to him. Her fingers will never satisfy her the same way his had, but they’ll do tonight. They’ll do however many nights it takes her before she finds another friend with benefits.

She slips them down through her folds, bringing the slick wetness back up to her clit as she slides it up and down, sighing.

She feels pathetic for a moment, but she shuts her eyes and when she opens them again, she’s back and determined to have an orgasm. She deserves it after this month, after he didn’t so much as say goodbye. Fuck him, she thinks and she begins rubbing her clit with intent.

She pictures someone else in her mind. Someone she doesn’t know. Someone with blue eyes and sandy hair.

She comes with a scream, her heart racing.

By morning, she’s already forgotten her dream lover.

 

It’s the last Saturday of the month when Baron Samedi shows up again at Roni’s bar. She raises an eyebrow in his direction, which he doesn’t notice because his back is facing her.

Jacinda asks how he’s been, mentions she hasn’t seen him in a while. Roni hears him say he’s been busy and out of town. She averts her eyes as he turns, effectively avoiding him.

But Baron Samedi has never been one to be deterred so he sits at the bar expectantly. Roni knows it’s childish but she purposely ignores him for as long as she can. Unfortunately, it’s only a few minutes before the women sitting beside him vacate the bar and she’s forced to go over, clean up, and collect the cash they’ve left. 

“Roni,” he starts, but she interrupts him.

“Now is not the time,” she says through gritted teeth. “I’m working.”

He nods, and asks for Maker’s 46 as Roni wipes the bar down furiously. “All we’ve got is Jim Beam Black,” she says without looking at him.

“I bet you’re wondering where I’ve been?”

“Not really,” she says uninterested. _Small talk? Is he serious?_

Roni reigns in her anger, and rationalizes that he’s doing this because he’s uncomfortable. Because he knows he fucked up.

But the bar is very busy, and she doesn’t have the time for distractions. She’s not interested in any explanations, and she lets him know as much by keeping things strictly professional.

She only approaches him to ask—politely—if he wants another drink. He accepts another and she places it on a fresh napkin beside his current not-quite-yet-empty tumbler. He starts to say something but she turns away again.

Thankfully at that moment, Henry had walked into the bar saying something about Ivy Belfrey needing a friend.

Roni is only half listening, hating how her body betrays her because she’s buzzing with energy, and something about Baron Samedi’s presence tonight is beckoning to her. She pushes her feelings aside; she won’t acknowledge them.

She let herself get a little too close and look what happened.

 

Remy rings the bell for last call. Samedi hasn’t moved from his seat. He’s been quietly observing her, and though he’d ordered a third drink, he sipped it so slowly Roni wondered if he was only pretending to drink it.

The bar was mostly empty as patrons shuffled out into the cool night air. “Is it too much to hope that you’ll want to spend some time with me after you close?”

Pressing her lips into a thin line, Roni finally looks at him. “I’m busy,” she says simply.

“I won’t take much of your time, but you deserve—”

“What? An explanation? Not interested.” He tries again, but she cuts him off a second time. “Save it for someone who cares.”

Samedi takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly as he rises from the stool and leaves some cash under his drink. Pulling on his coat, he wishes her a good night and leaves.

“Hey, you okay?” Jacinda asks, looking from the door he’d just walked out of to Roni.

“I’m fine,” she waves her off. “Can’t wait to get home is all.”

 

When Roni finally walks into her apartment later, she turns on the light to find Baron Samedi sitting on her loveseat. She screams, frightened, then marches over to where he is. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“You need to hear this,” he says.

“Oh please, Baron! Go home. I’m fine, I promise. You don’t owe me anything.”

“One drink, Roni. One drink then I’ll leave, you have my word.”

Looking up at him, she murmurs that his word no longer holds value. He hangs his head in shame. “I deserve that,” he says.

He follows her to the kitchen as she pulls two glass tumblers from a cabinet.

“Actually, I brought something for us to share,” he says as he pulls a bottle of whiskey from his trench coat. “I know you’re tired. Why don’t you change into something comfortable and I’ll serve our drinks?”

“Because I’ve got no interest in _getting comfortable_ around you,” she says crossing her arms across her torso.

“I know how much your feet hurt after being on them for hours. At least put your slippers on,” he encourages and when she finally relents and leaves him in the kitchen, he slips the memory potion into her tumbler, swirling the amber liquid and mixing the contents in until they vanish. The cloudiness of the potion turns clear and unnoticeable, and it’s now no different from his own drink.

Taking it in his right hand, he hands it to her when she returns. He holds his own up so they can toast, but Roni’s already gulping down her drink. She disregards the burn in her throat.

Samedi’s eyes don’t leave hers. He stands there, regarding her until she snaps. “It’s late. I think you should go home. I’m very tired and I need to get to bed.”

He starts to protest, but he can see the potion hasn’t taken effect yet. It’s hard to tell with these things; sometimes they work right away, other times, they take a while. On a few occasions, a memory potion has been known to fail, but he refuses to consider that.

She’ll need her memories if she’s going to help him.

Extending her arms out, she shakes her head at him. “What the hell do you want from me, huh? I don’t want to talk right now, is that not clear?”

He nods gently and whispers that it’s fine, that he’ll go.

Roni begins walking him to her door, but stops. Samedi turns in time to catch her from falling sideways.

The world shifts on it’s axis, and everything looks like it’s spinning, or is it just her? Memories flood her mind like rapid-fire.

She sees Snow. She sees herself, and she’s dressed like a queen, a queen casting a curse. There’s a town, she reads the sign. Storybrooke. There’s a small boy whose name is Owen. He’s crying. There’s a baby, a sweet little baby who she holds up and she hears herself say his name is Henry. A blonde in a red leather jacket, Emma. The Savior. Rumple, the Dark One—but isn’t it Detective Weaver?

Roni sways as Samedi’s arms come around her.

But she’s not Roni. She’s Regina Mills, Mayor of Storybrooke, and Queen of the Enchanted Forest.

Fairytales? Her mind argues, but she knows in her heart it’s the truth.

“Regina?”

A voice she never thought she’d hear while she was still alive is in her ear. She forces herself to look at him and in horror, she lets out a scream.

Baron Samedi was Dr. Facilier in the Enchanted Forest. He was a known necromancer, who often communicated with the dead.

But the voice does not belong to him.

It belongs to the one person she, Regina, had never been able to forget, the missing link in the puzzle that’s been her life.

Robin. _Her_ Robin Hood.

It can’t be. But it is. He’s here. With her. His arms are holding her up.

Everything goes dark.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My final entry for OQ Spooky Week, Day 7, prompt: Possessed. All mistakes are mine. Thank you as always for reading.

**PART 2: HIS STORY**  

_Six Weeks Earlier_

The spirits had spoken. Facilier was to leave the woman alone. If he didn’t, he would face the consequences.

He and the Queen had history. They’d been involved in a brief secret affair for a few years in the Enchanted Forest, only once having been caught by Princess Tiana.

In all the centuries he’d been alive, the Queen had been the only woman to have mesmerized him, to have gotten under his skin.

Her potential for darkness was great, despite having severed herself from her dark other half. That darkness still had a hold on her heart.

He held much respect for her when she had been dubbed by her stepdaughter as evil, and often admired her work.

But her nature had changed significantly when she returned to the Enchanted Forest with her adult son. Years had gone by and her heart had softened considerably.

She was now a mother (and a grandmother, though she often teased that no one call her that, ever). She was different now because she had a family. She also had friends. And she had love.

Facilier had heard the stories about her having found her predestined soulmate. The rumor in the Enchanted Forest said that a fairy went rogue and stole pixie dust, believing the Queen to be her friend, only to help her find love after the Queen had confessed she was miserable in her marriage and in her life.

The dust found her soulmate, but the Queen never met him. It was too late. She ran back to her miserable life because the darkness had it’s hold on her already.

The ordeal not only cost the fairy her wings, she was sentenced to spend her life on the isle of Neverland.

It was interesting how fate worked, however, because the Queen’s soulmate met her again later in life. The cause? Another curse she was forced to cast, one that cost her her son, but as luck would have it, the same one reunited her with her soulmate, giving her a second chance at happiness.

Some rumors said he was a thief, who had ironically been wanted at one point by her guards. Others said he was a descendant of noble blood, specifically Richard the Lionheart.

Regina was so different now. Her demeanor, her clothing, the way she spoke. He could see gentleness in her eyes where once they reflected nothing but pain and the storm within her conflicted heart. There was, however, still something sad about her.

She and Facilier formed a friendship, though the Queen was reluctant at first. Facilier promised no harm would befall her or her family and friends, and over time she began to trust him. From communing with the dead, he learned that her soulmate had been killed by Hades, the former lord of the underworld, and that the man had died to protect her.

Hades blasted him with a piece of Olympian Crystal, severing his soul from his body before the Queen’s eyes. They said he reached out for her one last time. And then he was gone.

The spirits were tricky, and whenever Facilier demanded to know what happened to the man’s soul, they refused to answer, the silence deafening when ordinarily their murmuring was always restless.

When Facilier was a boy, before he learned how to communicate with the dead from his grandmother, he often heard murmuring in his ears. The voices wouldn’t let him sleep, constantly whispering things he didn’t understand.

He often woke the following day feeling tired. It began happening regularly, and before long his grandmother gave him a knowing look and said, “Come with me.”

She began teaching him about the spirit world, but she warned him never to get too close. “No matter what they say, they’re lost souls, Simon. Their home is in the shadows. It is your duty to listen, for they can be your eyes and ears in times of need. But you must never let them get too close, for they will pull you to the other side. Or will bring someone from the other side to take possession of you.”

She taught him how to get centered, and focus on slowing down the whispering enough so he could understand what was being said.

Her warning always came. “They are not your friends, Simon. They wouldn’t hesitate to pull you to the other side. And if you let one through, it will take hold of your body whenever it wishes. They become stronger after the first time.”

His grandmother passed away before his seventeenth birthday, and they held a funeral honoring her memory before cremating the body and scattering the ashes.

She came to him often in dreams, urging him to heed her warnings, but the spirits had become comfortable in his presence and they teased the old woman’s soul.

When he woke, he lit the candle he kept by his grandmother’s portrait. “I’ve got them under control, Grand-mere. You’ve nothing to worry for.”

The spirit of his grandmother finally gave up after a few years. And Simon Facilier’s never questioned his spirit friends’ intentions. His grandmother was wrong; no human kept him as safe as his spirits.

Every time he might have died or serious harm could have befallen him, the spirits gave him warning and advice to help him avoid that particular fate altogether. They never told him what to do; everything was always presented as benign advice.

He grew into an overconfident man, convinced the spirits succumbed to his will and demands. They never tried to do any of the things his grandmother had warned him about, though they remained secretive about certain information. Even when he became cross and questioned them, commanding they answer, they cackled and slipped away, leaving him cursing their flippant nature.

The only time the spirits tried to dissuade him was when he met Regina in the Enchanted Forest for the second time. _“She’s not for you!”_ they hissed from the shadows. _“Stay away from her!”_

 

 

_Present Day_

Baron Samedi watched from the doorway as Roni, no _Queen Regina_ , slept on the bed in one of his guest rooms.

Once he’d regained control of his body, he carried her here and placed her on the bed, propping her head on top of a pillow and covering her body with a soft blanket.

 _I told you to stay away from her,_ came the thief’s angry voice.

_She’s resting. You scared her._

_You have no idea what I’m capable of, Shadow Man._

_I won’t let you hurt her._

_As if I ever would! If anyone has the potential to hurt her, it’s you._

_Never!_ Samedi insisted. _I care for her, too._

_Stay away. She. Is. Not. Yours._

_Go away, thief. You’re not welcome here._

The Queen stirred then, her eyes opened slowly as she took in her surroundings. Samedi entered the room slowly.

She scurried backward on the bed, her back pressed against the headboard. “Get away from me!” she screamed.

_You’re frightening her!_

_Silence, thief! You’re the one who scared her! I told you to go away!_

“Roni,” he started.

“No,” she shook her head vehemently. “No. That is _not_ my name!”

“Your Highness,” he tried again.

“What the hell is going on, _Facilier_? Why did you wake me up, huh?”

He took a step closer, but she yelled again, told him to keep his distance. Maybe now wasn’t the time to tell her that waking her had been his only choice.

“I can send up some food, if you’re hungry.”

Her nostrils flared as she tried to conjure a fireball. She looked at her hand in rage, the fingers curled in the right position but nothing appeared.

“Land Without Magic, Your Majesty,” he reminded.

She let out several harsh, loud breaths. “Stay where you are! Tell me why you woke me up! I remember who I am, but I also… have Roni’s memories. They’re so real.”

“Roni is gone but the memories of your life as her are not forgotten. It was part of the curse.”

“Then why are you awake? Have you been awake the entire time?” Her hands came up to her face, as she traced her fingers on her lips. “Is that why you started coming to the bar?”

He hung his head guiltily and she kicked the blanket off her, standing and stepping into her boots. “I need some space. Don’t follow me.”

 

Facilier can’t pinpoint exactly when the thief started coming to him, if it was before or after he’d first gone to Roni’s bar. The voices of his spirit friends often melded together and spoke in unison, sometimes changing timbre depending on what they were saying. It was possible that while they spoke, one spirit had filtered through, possibly even as he slept. He realized it was just as he’d been cautioned.

For the first time since he was a boy, Simon Facilier remembered his grandmother’s words.

He’d been trimming his goatee one morning, running the blade downward in a slow, deliberate motion, creating a neat line.

The change started with his eyes. They changed color, morphing into a pair of blue eyes that were completely unfamiliar to him. He cut himself accidentally, watching in horror as his face transformed into someone else’s. The razor fell from his hand and splashed the water that was in the sink onto his abdomen. 

 

Facilier sat at the small table nearest the altar, taking three tarot cards and placing them face down on the table. He turns the middle one over first.

Two of cups. _Lovers. Sexual energy. Two becoming one._ Reaching to the left, he turns the next card over. It’s a woman stroking a lion’s head. _Strength. Bravery, courage, and fire. Passion and patience._ Turning the final card over, he sighs. The hanged man. _Surrender. Metamorphosis._

Stepping away from the table, he leaves the cards where they are. Calling on his spirits, he doesn’t expect them to come but they do.

 _Who is he?_ he demands.

The visions are blinding.

Regina catching an arrow mid-flight.

A gloved hand outstretched, reaching for her.

Sipping wine before a fireplace, as Regina runs her thumb over a tattooed wrist.

“ _I’m with you. Always.”_ Regina’s voice, a spoken vow.

Facilier falls backwards when the force of the crystal hits his body. He felt the same sensations the thief had felt, his body being torn from his soul as it stood and reached for his Queen, the despair in her tearful eyes.

That’s how he learned that the spirit who’d taken possession of his body was none other than the Queen’s true love, the thief known as Robin Hood. The Enchanted Forest rumors were true.

This thief’s spirit was becoming stronger too, and no matter how much Facilier tried to control him, sometimes he couldn’t.

That first night he’d taken Roni home, his hand had wandered beneath her shirt to caress her breast. And though it was _his_ hand, it _wasn’t_ him doing so. It had been the thief.

Facilier could still feel, though his sensations were somewhat diminished. He’d been aroused, his pants painfully keeping his erection pinned down firmly. He’d had the urge to take Roni’s hand and put it on him, to help alleviate the ache.

But it wasn’t _him_ directing the movement.

It had been the thief.

When Roni asked him to stop, the thief immediately withdrew and vanished back to wherever it was spirits went.

He rapidly regained control of his body and excused himself, politely bidding Roni farewell.

The seed had been planted, and Facilier felt himself being pulled toward her, though he couldn’t understand why the thief wanted another man close to his love.

And that was what kept him coming to her bar, and forming a close friendship with her. He wanted to find out what the thief’s restless spirit wanted.

Though Hood was normally quiet, he would come through on occasion. Facilier noted with frustration that he tended to take over when he and Roni were being intimate.

He felt him one night as he lay between Roni’s thighs, pleasuring her. She was letting out soft moans as her hips swayed from side to side, but his lips wouldn’t release her clit.

He recalls her mortified gasp as she smoothed her fingers on his head and found they…had threaded through, and pulled on, hair. He immediately pushed the thief out of his body, and opened his eyes, regaining control in a nanosecond as Roni sat up panting nervously.

Facilier pretended nothing had happened, and asked if everything was alright, as he caressed the inside of her thigh.

Roni laughed humorlessly. “I thought I felt… You know what? Never mind,” she said shaking her head as she bent to kiss him. 

Though he’d invited her to stay, she insisted on going home that night and once she was gone, he demanded his spirits tell him how the spirit of the thief had become so powerful.

But as they often did, the spirits wouldn’t answer him, and in anger, he overturned the small altar he had dedicated to them. He’d placed mementos of things they’d told him were of significance to them when they were alive. Photographs, unlit cigars, and random trinkets went flying in the air, as candle wax splattered on the walls and floor, the flames extinguished in the upheaval.

When he returned to his bedroom, he laid down and closed his eyes. Just as he was drifting off, the soul of his grandmother appeared at his side.

“Simon,” she said. “I warned you. You let your guard down and trusted them. They’re no longer looking out for you. They’re watching you be used as a puppet.”

He sat up with a start and turned on the light but he was alone. Surveying the room, he turned the light off again and settled back down to sleep.

 

He’s called Roni three times, and each call has gone to voicemail. He hangs up without leaving a message. It’s been a few hours since she stormed out of his home.

_She doesn’t want you, Facilier. She wants me._

_Quiet, thief. I have no desire to speak with you now._

_She is mine as I am hers. You can’t have her._

There was a knock at his door. It must be her, otherwise the lobby would have announced a visitor. Weeks ago, he’d given the attendants notice that should Roni Millman show up, they were to let her in without ringing him.

He opens the door and stands to one side so she can come in. He shuts the door and turns the lock as she makes her way over to the bar and pours herself a drink.

“Would you like to sit down, Roni?”

“ _Don’t_ call me that!”

Sighing he sits down on one of the armchairs. She finishes her drink and pours another. Taking a big gulp, she sits across from him.

“Regina,” he says. “I’m…sorry. I didn’t… I’m not…”

“Why. Did. You. Wake. Me. Up?”

“It’s Robin. I believe you can help him cross over.”

Facilier feels the thief enter his body, taking over. He doesn’t resist.

“Regina?” The somewhat different, desperate tone in his voice makes her look at him.

The glass falls from her hand to the floor, shattering to pieces as the liquid spreads among the broken glass. “No, it can’t be.”

Before her eyes, Facilier’s body morphs, transforming into Robin. It’s been years, _decades_ , since she’s looked into those eyes. Or seen that smile, dimples deepening. He made a move in an attempt to reach for her as he always did when he was alive, but Regina repelled. “What kind of sick joke is this?”

“It’s not a joke. It’s me.”

Hot tears stung her eyes. “If you’re really Robin, prove it!”

“We had a picnic by the fireplace in your office in Storybrooke. You helped bring Marian back to life, only we later found out it was your sister, Zelena. You found me by using Tinkerbell’s pixie dust, and when you saw me in the tavern, you never went it. You ran away. That night, when we were in your office, you said you were too scared to approach me.”

Regina cries out, finally breaking into wracking sobs. She says his name over and over, as her hand comes up over her mouth. She remembers it all, thinks of Kelly—no, _Zelena_ , and little Robyn. His daughter. Which reminds her of Roland, and how long it’s been since she last saw him when he and the Merry Men visited her and Henry in Storybrooke, right before Henry’s graduation.

“It’s you. It’s really you. But how? What happened to Facilier?”

“He’s still here. He’s allowing me, us, a chance to talk.”

“Where…” she starts then trails off. “How long do you have?”

“I don’t know, but I am… I’m always with you, Regina. And I still love you, I’ve never—won’t ever—stop,” he says as she let out a shuddering breath.

“I still love you, too. How long have you been…coming through?”

“After he found you. Not you, Roni. My soul always remained connected to yours. Death, time, realms, space—my soul transcends and chooses to stay close to you.”

A tear falls from Regina’s eye, the wetness falling onto her shirt. He longs to touch her, to comfort her, but he keeps his distance. “I don’t know how I’m able to communicate through him. His spirits cannot inhabit bodies.”

Regina leans forward and Robin kneels off the chair he’s been sitting on across from her. He begins to inch closer to her. He wants to hold her, but he can see the fear in her eyes, like she can’t quite believe he’s there.

Robin moves closer. He feels the pull between them, the same familiar pull that kept him coming back to her. He can almost feel her body in his arms, can almost feel the ghost of her lips on his.

She slides off the chair and is on her knees, inching toward him too. They’re so close now. He leans closer, brushes her lips with his, but before anything else happens, his body begins to twist and contort. “Robin?” Regina says, a hint of fear in her voice.

It only lasts about thirty seconds before he straightens out and when he sits up, Robin is gone and Facilier is back in his place. A thin trickle of blood runs from his nose. 

“Are you okay? Is he gone?” Regina sniffles as Facilier nods. She stands to get him some tissue.

“Come with me,” he says as he also rises to his feet, and takes her hand. He leads her to a door she’d never noticed before.

They walk into an unusual room that opens into a narrow hallway ending with a beaded curtain. His hand reaches for it, parting it for her to enter, as the beads clack noisily.

“What is this place?”

“This is where my spirits speak to me. They warned me to stay away from you. That’s why I disappeared. But the longer I stayed away, the stronger and more insistent your thief became. He would not leave me alone. He’d take possession of my body, often when we were alone.”

Regina swallowed. “I do remember one night,” she says. “It was the craziest thing. My eyes were closed and I ran my hand along your head and felt…hair. I never said anything because…” She drifts off.

“Because it didn’t seem logical, or even possible,” he finishes. “I assure you, it’s the truth. Your thief has been fooling with my mind for weeks. And then he started to channel through me, whenever my guard was down. He never seemed that powerful at first, but now I have my doubts. Your soulmate is very sneaky, Regina.”

She eyes him skeptically. “Yes well, he was a thief. However, you still haven’t answered my question.”

Pursing his lips, he says, “I thought if you knew he was here, you could help him cross over.” She rolls her eyes in disbelief. “It’s what he needs, Regina. His spirit isn’t at peace.”

He’s not going to lie to her, but he’s also not going to admit the truth he’d discovered about Robin’s soul.

Not only was it tethered to hers, it was stuck in some kind of in-between purgatory, refusing to let go. He was stronger and getting stronger every day, because the crystal that killed him had also bestowed powers that far exceeded anything he was capable of while he was alive. That’s how he was able to take possession of his body at will. Facilier’s spirits were afraid of Robin’s soul, and rightfully so because even though he was stuck, it was only matter of time before he broke free.

“Do you know what you’re asking of me?” Regina asks quietly. “I’ll have to say goodbye to him all over again. I can’t do this.”

She steps away and walks determinedly through the beaded curtain again and out into the narrow hallway. He can hear her shoes echo, and the door closes as she walks out of his home. 

 

 

_Six Months Later - Her Story (again)_

Regina went back to being Roni. It was all she could do, since everyone else was asleep.

She confronted Detective Weaver once, even mentioned Belle, but he didn’t flinch or give any indication that he knew what she was talking about.

What hurt the most was seeing Henry, and knowing she couldn’t say anything, couldn’t comfort him like any mother would comfort her child. No matter how he towered over her, he was still her son.

Facilier had not returned to the bar. She often went out for long walks to clear her head, and would occasionally walk past his building. They’d hired a new doorman, and the new one didn’t know who she was.

At home, she’d often pull out Baron Samedi’s card and stare at it, wondering whether or not she should call, but she could never bring herself to do it. Roni might have said fuck it, but Regina knew it wouldn’t have been right, because though she cared for him as a friend, her love and her heart would always belong to Robin.

Even if they were presently separated by death.

 

 

_One Year Later_

Roni is finally alone in her bar, closing out the till. It had started raining that afternoon and hadn’t stopped. She sent everyone home, though Jacinda insisted on staying behind to finish sweeping and mopping the floors, and she was thankful for it.

Her feet are hurting as usual, so she toes off her low-heeled booties. Walking over to the jukebox, she puts in a quarter and flips until she makes her selection. She stands there as her eyes momentarily close, listening to the melodic and haunting piano intro of Halsey’s _Sorry_.

A soft tapping on the glass gets her attention. It’s coming from outside. She looks over and doesn't recognize who it is. It’s dark and the person is wearing a hooded coat.

“We’re closed,” she calls out from within.

The sky brightens with lightening as the person removes their hood.

She almost faints, her lips forming an ‘O’ in shock. _It’s Robin_. She runs outside, not caring that it’s pouring or that it’s freezing. She slams into him as his arms come around her.

“I’ve missed you,” her breath hot against his ear. “But how?”

 

They close the bar and walk hurriedly to her apartment. Once they’re inside, they strip the wet clothing off each other as they kiss slowly, savoring each moment. When they’re naked, he pushes her against the wall of her bedroom, and throws one leg over his shoulder as he sucks her clit.

“I’ve missed you too,” he murmurs before licking his tongue though her folds, then pulling her clit again with his lips. She comes with his name on her lips, and he stands, leading her to the bed. Kissing her, she moans when she tastes herself on him. Robin flips them over so now she’s on top and holding her waist, he guides her lower, down to where he’s waiting to fill her. She sinks down on his cock and starts rocking her hips once she’s adjusted to him. His hands come up and squeeze her breasts, his thumb and forefinger pluck and pull her nipples.

“Touch yourself,” he begs and she brings her hand down to her clit, rubbing it until she comes again, panting out his name, her voice almost hoarse. The clamping of her walls brings him to his climax and he shouts as his hips piston up as deep as he can go, emptying himself into her.

They lay together side by side catching their breaths.

“How are you here?” she asks.

“Shhh. Get some sleep. We’ll talk later, after you wake up.” His arms come around her and she cuddles into his warmth. He reaches for the comforter and throws it over their bodies.

 

They wake up past ten in the morning. She makes them breakfast while he finally tells her what happened.

Facilier found a way that would allow Robin to return to life. They traveled to Mount Olympus where they stood before Zeus. The god already knew Hades’ crystal had not only killed Robin, but it had given his soul the power to break through the spirit world, and that he’d used the power to possess Facilier.

The crystal may have ended Robin’s life but it never severed the tie his soul shared with Regina’s soul.

Zeus was hesitant about returning Robin to life after so long, but Facilier pointed out that as a god, he could do anything he wanted. He told them to return in thirty days, that he’d have an answer for them then.

“The rest is history,” Robin says.

“What happened to Facilier?” she wonders aloud.

“He asked Zeus to erase his memories. Of you, of the curse, of Hyperion Heights. He wanted a fresh start, so he was granted one. He stayed in Europe, as Baron Samedi. Zeus only let him keep his false memories, the ones that made up Samedi’s life.”

“What about his spirits?”

“Zeus freed them. They’re at peace.” 

She nods and looks away, busying herself with the scrambled eggs. Robin comes up behind her and snakes his arms around her waist. “What are you thinking about?”

Turning off the gas stove, she moves the pan of eggs to a cool burner and turns in his arms.

“We were friends,” she says, still avoiding his eyes. “I cared for him very much.”

Leaning back, he asks, “Did you love him?”

“Part of me did,” she admits, finally meeting his gaze. “He was a good friend. He cared for me.”

“If I recall, he did, yes. A little too much for my liking,” he teases as she clucks her tongue at him. “Something still bothering you?”

“No. Just… I hope he finds his happiness,” she says kissing him.


End file.
